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English language learners comprise the most rapidly growing segment of students in K-12. More than 10% of students are now identified as foreign language learners of English. Many states, including Alabama, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Indiana have seen the number of ELL students increase three times or more over the past 10 years. Historically, there are stark achievement gaps between ELLs and their peers. For example, in the latest NAEP results, in 2013 for fourth graders, the reading proficiency gap was 6% (ELL) versus 29% (non-ELL) and in math, it was 13% (ELL) versus 36% (non-ELL). However, as schools and districts across the country prepare all students to be college and career ready, there is a tremendous opportunity to look at how we can best support ELL students and help them reach their maximum potential. The need to learn academic English and not just social English There are two types of English that all students learn social English and academic English. Social English is what we learn and use in everyday communication. For students, its what they use outside of the classroom. Social English is what native speakers of English will acquire by just growing up in an English speaking household and community. In contrast, academic English is what is generally taught in schools our societys accepted practices for formal English, including proper grammar, vocabulary and writing, and the ability to read such texts. This means that technically, all students, whether they are native speakers of English or not, must learn academic English. In other words, all students must make progress in their ability to converse, interact and compose using formal English to prepare them for college and careers. Mere fluency of social English is not sufficient. As the Common Core State Standards were designed with the end goal of college and career readiness, the new standards require all students to progress in their mastery of academic English. There are 249 distinct language standards in the common core, from kindergarten through high school, that define in detail the structure of academic language that students should use across all subject areas. Universal Design for Learning ELL students used to be primarily placed and educated in segregated ESL (English as a second language) classrooms. Similar to students with disabilities, districts have largely transitioned to an integrated delivery model that includes ELLs in general-education classrooms, according to best practice. Furthermore, brain science continues to demonstrate that even amongst groups of students that might be described as typical, there is in fact great variability in how their brains process information. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a long-established framework that helps educators address the diversity of learners in the classroom. UDL has its roots in brain research, specifying an architectural design that makes structures inherently accessible to people of all types.
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